Women in Presidential Cabinets

Power Players or Abundant Tokens?

Maria C. Escobar-Lemmon and Michelle M. Taylor-Robinson

Presents conclusive evidence that suggests that women are not tokens in presidential cabinets

Draws from an original dataset that includes the backgrounds and credentials of 447 ministers in five presidential democracies

Systematically examines whether statistical differences in the background characteristics or sex of ministers plays a role in determining success

Demonstrates the surprising similarities in the factors affecting women's representation in the United States and four Latin American coutries

Women in Presidential Cabinets

Power Players or Abundant Tokens?

Maria C. Escobar-Lemmon and Michelle M. Taylor-Robinson

Description

Though parity is still rare, presidential cabinets contain more women than ever before. Who are these women and what types of political capital resources do they bring to the administration? Are they new types of political players or very much like the men who have traditionally run the government? And once they gain office, are they treated equally in the cabinet? Do they have the capacity to be as effective as their male counterparts?

Drawing on data from five presidential democracies -- Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, and the United States -- Women in Presidential Cabinets examines the backgrounds, connections and credentials of all full-rank cabinet ministers in presidential administrations over the course of two decades to determine if women and men bring similar numbers and diversity of political capital resources to the administration. Maria C. Escobar-Lemmon and Michelle M. Taylor-Robinson find that, with a few notable exceptions, presidents select men and women with similar work and education backgrounds, political experience, and linkages to related interest groups. There are, however, differences across types of posts and countries. They evaluate the treatment and effectiveness of similarly credentialed male and female ministers on four benchmarks. Specifically, they examine whether women with equal qualifications can really obtain all posts or whether glass ceilings persist in some areas. They then turn to the ability of women to hold onto a post, considering the nature and circumstances surrounding their departures from office and how long they remain in office. In doing so, they uncover evidence that female ministers in Latin America stand on an unequal playing field when it comes to the ability to enact policy through legislation. Ultimately, Escobar-Lemmon and Taylor-Robinson show conclusively that while women lack numerical equality, they are no longer tokens, instead appearing positioned to exercise power at the highest levels within the executive branch.

Women in Presidential Cabinets

Power Players or Abundant Tokens?

Maria C. Escobar-Lemmon and Michelle M. Taylor-Robinson

Table of Contents

1. Will women in presidential cabinets be power players or tokens? Theory and expectations about women's inclusion

Part I: Country Background and Methodology

2. Politics of presidential cabinet making: Women's representation and rules of the game in 5 democracies 3. Defining the basis for comparing ministers

Part II: Who Gatekeepers Select as Ministers: Comparison of Men and Women

4. Policy expertise: When and where presidents appoint ministers with work and education background 5. Political skills: When and where presidents appoint ministers with political background and connections 6. Support resources: When and where presidents appoint ministers with links to clients of their department

Part III: Four Benchmarks for Comparing Treatment and Effectiveness of the Men and Women Appointed to Presidential Cabinets

7. Getting seats at the table, and not just in the "women's seat" 8. Surviving, retiring or being fired: Equal treatment in cabinet exits 9. Long stays or short: Equal treatment in duration in post 10. Making policy: Evidence of an unequal playing field

Part IV: Conclusions about Integration and Incorporation of Women in Cabinets

11. Minorities not tokens: Conclusions about equality of women in presidential cabinets

Notes ReferencesIndex

Women in Presidential Cabinets

Power Players or Abundant Tokens?

Maria C. Escobar-Lemmon and Michelle M. Taylor-Robinson

Author Information

Maria C. Escobar-Lemmon is Associate Professor of Political Science at Texas A&M University.

Michelle M. Taylor-Robinson is Professor of Political Science and affiliated faculty in Women's and Gender Studies at Texas A&M University.

Women in Presidential Cabinets

Power Players or Abundant Tokens?

Maria C. Escobar-Lemmon and Michelle M. Taylor-Robinson

Reviews and Awards

"...provide[s] an impressive cross-national description of the women who joined the ranks of the political elite in recent decades." --H-Net

"Escobar-Lemmon and Taylor-Robinson have produced an incredibly thorough and wide-ranging work on the presence of women in presidential cabinets. This work is highly recommended for anyone interested in political science, policy studies, and women's studies." --CHOICE

"Over the past dozen years, Maria C. Escobar-Lemmon and Michelle M. Taylor-Robinson have firmly established themselves as the discipline's leading authorities on the participation and role of women in the cabinets of presidential democracies. Women in Presidential Cabinets refines and profoundly extends this impressive research agenda, simultaneously making a critical contribution to both the gender and politics and the comparative democratic institutions literatures." --Mark P. Jones, Joseph D. Jamail Chair in Latin American Studies, and Political Science Fellow, James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University

"Escobar-Lemmon and Taylor-Robinson's volume fills a glaring gap in the literature on presidential cabinets and at the same time elegantly engages work on women in politics, candidate selection, and political recruitment. It answers key questions about what women bring to the table as ministers, how they are treated in office, and how effective women ministers are compared to their male counterparts. Employing an impressive data set, rigorous methodology and cogent arguments, this gem of a book sets a new scholarly standard for understanding the recruitment, treatment and performance of women ministers in presidential systems." --Peter M. Siavelis, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, Wake Forest University

"With this book, Maria C. Escobar-Lemmon and Michelle M. Taylor-Robinson offer a much needed study of women in cabinet. The book goes well beyond the usual story of why fewer women than men get a seat at the cabinet table, and explores whether gender shapes career trajectories in cabinet, reasons for exiting cabinets, and level of legislative activity. Their findings reveal much about where women have made gains, and where progress has been slower. The book will be essential reading for gender scholars as well as those studying cabinets and executive." --Susan Franceschet, Professor of Political Science, University of Calgary